Download 527. What is required by the ninth commandment?

ANGELICO, Fra
Annunciation
1430s
Panel, 195 x 158 cm
S. Maria delle Grazie, S. Giovanni
Valdarno
The ninth
commandment:
you shall not
covet your
neighbour's wife
53
Compendium of the Catechism

527. What is required by the ninth
commandment?
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

2514-2516
2528-2530
The ninth commandment requires
that one overcome carnal
concupiscence in thought and in
desire. The struggle against such
concupiscence entails purifying the
heart and practicing the virtue of
temperance.
528. What is forbidden by the
ninth commandment?

2517-2519
2531-2532
 The ninth commandment forbids
cultivating thoughts and desires
connected to actions forbidden by
the sixth commandment.
Introduction
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The disorder caused by original
sin brings with it a selfish claim
for sexual pleasure that ignores
the order established by God.
Holy purity is a virtue acquired
by means of God’s grace and
personal struggle.
To keep our hearts pure it is
necessary to rid them
decisively of impure thoughts
and desires. As our Lord said:


“Blessed are the pure in heart,
because they shall see God”
(Matthew 5:8)
Encouraged by this assurance,
though aware that it can be
hard to keep our hearts pure,
we know that purity is a
wonderful gift.
REMBRANDT (1606-1669)
David and Uriah
Oil on canvas, 1665
50 x 46 inches (127 x 117 cm)
Hermitage, St Petersburg
Main ideas
1. Concupiscence
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When Adam and Eve
disobeyed God they
not only sinned but
also opened the gates
of sin: concupiscence
is the inclination to sin
which remains even in
a baptized person.
Saint John wrote about
a triple concupiscence:

the lust of the flesh
 the lust of the eyes
 the pride of life
PATENIER, Joaquín
Temptation of St Anthony
c. 1515
Oil on panel, 155 x 173 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
(cfr. 1 John 2:16)

Concupiscence in itself
is not a sin, but it
inclines man to sin.
2. Purification of the heart
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To combat the tickling of our
passions, we have to look for
the root of sin. And the root of
sin is in the heart.
Jesus warns his disciples :
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“From the heart come evil
intentions: murder, adultery,
fornication…” (Matthew 15:19)
Therefore, the fight against
concupiscence begins with the
purification of the heart,
because God wants us to be
pure and chaste first and
foremost in our hearts.
UNKNOWN MASTER, Flemish
The Offering of the Heart
c. 1410
Tapestry
Musée de Cluny, Paris
3. Fighting against temptations
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Temptations against chastity
are not sinful in themselves,
but only incitements to sin.
They are sinful if the will
indulges them.
They should not surprise us
and, without getting obsessed,
we have to pray to be strong to
reject temptations promptly.
If when confronted with
temptations we are able to say
that we did our best to keep
them away, then there is no
reason to lose our peace and
joy.
CRANACH, Lucas the Elder
Samson's Fight with the Lion
1520-25
Panel
Kunstsammlungen, Weimar
4. Decorum and modesty
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Decorum forms part of the
virtue of temperance and is a
safeguard of purity.
It is related to the virtue of
modesty, which governs
gestures and body
movements; it also helps us
keep silent when speaking
would only satisfy morbid
curiosity.
Decorum protects personal
intimacy and helps us behave
with gentleness and
sensitivity.
BOUGUEREAU, William (1825-1905)
Modestie [Modesty]
Oil on canvas, 1902
63 1/8 x 28 1/2 inches (160.5 x 72.5 cm)
Private collection
5. A campaign for purity
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Christians must struggle to
cleanse the morally polluted
environment of today’s
permissive society.
Christians, all the more,
have to make every effort so
that the means of
entertainment are clean and
do not offend God.
The effort to promote
chastity and purity means
helping men and women to
be more human and to purify
and elevate social mores.
UNKNOWN MASTER, French
Crusaders
12th century
Mural
Chapel of the Templars, Cressac
6. How to improve in chastity
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We can obtain and
improve interior chastity
with prayer. We ought
always to pray for purity,
with rectitude of intention,
seeking to do the will of
God in everything.
In order to resist indulging
in impure thoughts, we
have to guard our
imagination and eyes, and
the other senses as well.
EL GRECO (1541-1614)
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception and St John
Oil on canvas, 1585
93 1/4 x 46 3/8 inches (237 x 118 cm)
Museo de Santa Cruz, Toledo
Resolutions for
Christian life
Resolutions to move forward
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Promptly dispel impure
thoughts, using the proper
natural and supernatural
means.
Think about what could be
done in my family and social
surroundings to promote a
morally pure environment.
Practise decorum and modesty.